Amazon adds live QVC-style online shopping channels

File photo dated 25/11/15 of an Amazon sign. Amazon Alexa users are now able to hear a story from Father Christmas and have the virtual assistant sing Christmas songs as part of a new festive feature.

Amazon customers can now watch live streams of products and brands, similar to traditional shopping channels on television.

The feature has been soft-launched in the US only for the moment, with presenter-led demonstrations of products made by Amazon and by sellers themselves.

Amazon has also released a Live Creator app, that enables brands to get started with their live stream and interact with shoppers in real-time through the comments.

Beneath the video, customers can see a carousel of links to the products mentioned.

Amazon Live (Amazon/PA)

However, this isn’t the first time Amazon has tried live streaming to boost its product sales. In 2016, it debuted the Style Code Live show, which took a look at the fashion items for sale on the online retail giant.

Despite Amazon’s success online, the Jeff Bezos-founded company has been exploring a more traditional retail presence for some time, with physical stores such as its cashier and checkout-less Amazon Go stores in the US.

Amazon’s recent quarterly results showed a rise in both revenue and profits, with net sales up by 20% on this time last year, rising from 60.5 billion US dollars (£46.1 billion) to 72.4 billion dollars (£55.2 billion).